Fabric



J. L. GETAZ Sept. 17, 1940.

FABRI C Filed March 7, 1938 2 Sheets $heet 1 INVENTORI JAMES Lf GETAZ BY HIS AT TORNEYS 2 sheets-sheet 2 J. L. GETAZ FABRIC Filed March 7, 1938 Sept 17, 1940.

lad N IN V ENTC R JAMES L. 'GETAZ BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented 17,-1940 UNITED STATES FABRIC James L. Getaz, Maryville, Tenn., assignor to Scott & Williams,

Incorporated, Laconia, N. 11.,

a corporation of Massachusetts Application March '1, 1938, Serial No. 194,505 4 Claims. (01. 66-173) This invention relates to knit fabrics having elastic threads incorporated therein and more particularly to knit fabrics of the type described suitable for use as hosiery tops and it is an object of this invention to provide a ribfabric for use as a hosiery top which has a continuous elastic thread incorporated therein intermittently, either in portions only of successive courses or in spaced courses and it is a further object of this invention to provide a rib fabric of a hosiery top of modified construction, the

loops of the inner wall-of the turned welt being 25 shown in heavy lines and those of the outer wall of the welt being shown in light lines; and

Fig. 3 is a view in section of the fabric shown in Fig. 2.

In the drawings the fabric portion of Fig. 1

80 is shown as it comes from the machine, the

courses at the bottom of the sheet being the first knit. The figure is broken as all courses shown are not consecutive and portions of some of the wales are, in the drawings, offset from the posi- 35 tions in which they actually occur in the fabric.

The courses shown, beginning at the bottom, are the courses shortly before the press-off of one rib top and the courses then continue through the press-on of that rib top, the start-up of the succeeding rib top and into the body portion. The rib top shown is a rib top such as is made by the usual hosiery top ,ribber and is shown for the purpose of illustration only, as it is to be understood the invention is equally applicable 45 to rib fabric knit on other types of rib knitting machine. I The rib tops illustrated are shown as knit in a continuous string of a single continuous main? or body yam A, the needles being operated to 50 form the make-up or starting course I of a top in the revolution in which the cylinder needles are operated to cast off their loops in the pressoff course at the completion of a knit top. As shown, the dial needles retain their loops during 56 the press-off so successive rib tops are joined l t l together by the loops of the wales knit by the dial needles. Following the start-up course I there is knit a course 2 of rib fabric and a course 3 knit on the cylinder needles only, the dial needles taking yarn but not casting off the prevlously drawn loops. Following course 3 are two courses 4 and 5 knit on the'cylinder needles only, the dial needles being'inactive but retaining the loops previously-taken. During the knitting of courses 4 and 5 the elastic thread R is laid in backof the cylinder needles and below the dial needles so as to be held between the cylinder and dial needle wales of the fabric for approximately 1 to drawn, the holder forthe elastic thread being rotated where the needle cylinder is stationary so as to lay in the elastic thread continuously in advance of the knitting point. Two courses 6 and 1 of rib fabric are-then knit, the elastic thread being laid in between cylinder and dial needle wales for a part of each course and bein then withdrawn for the remainder of that course 'or revolution of the knitting cams, the elastic yarn holder remaining stationary each time at the needle at which the elastic thread is withdrawn until the elastic thread guide is again operated to position the elastic thread for laying-in in the next or asucceeding course or revolution when the elastic thread holder is again advanced.

Following course I, a course 8 is then knit on the cylinder needles only, the dial needles taking yarn but retaining the loops previously taken. The elastic thread guide is operated to lay in the elastic threadfor a portion of a revolution during the knitting of course 8 and also during the knitting of the following courses 9 and Ill knit on the cylinder needles only, the dial needles being inactive but retainingthe' loops previously 40 taken. Courses ll, l2, I3 etc., of rib fabric are then knit,'the number of courses beingsuflicient to provide a rib top of the desired length and the elastic thread is incorporated in the fabric for the desired portion of each. of the desired courses.

In the drawings the elastic thread is shown as 1% courses and then with incorporated for a portion of each of a number of the rib fabric courses of a top, as from course ll 'to'course 80, but it isto be understood the elastic thread need not be incorporated in all courses but may be incorporated in recurring: courses of any desired spacing. It is also to be understood that the number of needle wales for which the elastic read is incorporated in course, as shown Fig. 1, is purely an arbitrary selection and that the extent for which the elastic thread is incorporated in a course may be varied; thus as shown in courses 40 to 42 and 56 to 58 the elastic thread is incorporated for but one-half the extent to whichfit is incorporated in courses I I to 24. Changing the extent to which the elastic thread is incorporated in a course varies the amount of elastic thread in the fabric 'andthe tension exerted thereby when stretched. Thus, in courses II to M the elastic threadmay be incorporated for a fourth or a fifth of each course and the elastic thread at any one needle wale is in every fourth or fifth course,while in courses 40 to 58 where it is incorporatedfor an eighth or a tenth of a course the elastic thread, at any one wale, is in every eighth or tenth course and the elastic thread incorporated in that portion of a top is but a half of what is incorporated in the courses II to 24.

When the elastic thread has been incorporated for a sufficient number of courses it is withdrawn,

as in course 80, and kept from the needles until it is again presented to the needles at the beginning of the next top knit, the elastic thread being allowed to float from where it was withdrawn in the knitting of one top to where it is inserted in the knitting of the succeeding top.

In the top illustrated several'courses of rib fabric, as courses 8| 'to 83, are knit; after the withdrawal of the elastic thread, then there are knit a loose course 84, several rib fabric courses,

as as to as, a course as in which the cylinder needles knit and the dial needles take yarn and retain the loops previously drawn, two courses 90 and SI in which the cylinder needles knit and the dial needles are inactive but retain the'loops previously taken and rib fabric courses 92 and 93.- The cylinder needles are then operated to press off the loops of course 83 and during the same revolution of the cam ring both the cylinder and dial needles are operated to take yam and the dial needles to cast off the loops of course 93, thus placing on all the needles the loops for the starting course I.

In Figs. 2 and 3 there is shown a portion of a stocking as knit by a Scott and Williamshalfhose machine and comprising a turned welt W of a plain fabric welt and a rib fabric top of a sinplain fabric and a top T of rib fabric. In the lmitting-of the fabric shown, at the start-up, as in course I 0|, loops are taken by the dial needles and alternate cylinder needles and the loops on the dial needles are held while the alternate cylinder needles are operated to take and knit the main yarn A. At any convenient course after the start-up, as course I03, the guide for the elastic thread R is operated to present the elastic thread to the needles and the needles are operated so as to interlace the elastic thread in front of and in back of the active cylinder needles. The elastic thread, as shown, is interlaced for substantially a full course, then withdrawn for a number of courses and then again interlaced with the needles for substantially a full course. In this operation, as the machine described has a rotating needle cylinder, the support for the elastic thread is held stationary durq ing the courses in which the elastic thread is laid in and rotated with the needle cylinder during the courses in which the elastic thread is not laid-in. In the drawings, the elastic thread is shown as being laid-in for a single course each time, as in courses I03, I08, H3 and H8 of the welt, and withdrawn for five courses, but it is to be understood that it is not limited to the arrangement shown.

Upon completion-of the welt and during the knitting of rib fabric, as shown beginning in course I2I, the guide for the elastic thread is operated to lay the elastic thread in back of the oi. the welt, the elastic yarnis laid-in for a substantially complete course at periodically spaced courses, as courses I24, I29, I34 and I39 etc., and withdrawn during the knitting of the intervening courses. After the elastic thread has been laid-in for a sufficient number of courses, it is withdrawn and held in a cutter and clamp mechanism until presented to the needles in the knitting of the welt of thesucceeding stocking. Inasmuch as the complete stocking is knit on the machine, laying-in-the elastic thread for a complete course or revolution each time permits of the floats of the elastic thread being kept in the same Wale, as at the back of the finished stocking, where they are not objectionable.

While in the above examples the invention has been shown applied to fabric knit of a single yarn by a single feed machine it is to be understood the invention is equally applicable to fabrics knit of a pluralityof yarns in plating relation and to fabrics knit on multiple feed machines.

.Where a multiple feed machine is used, the elastic thread of Fig. 1 will be in spaced courses, the spacing depending upon the number of yarn feeds used while in Figs. 2 and 3 the spacing of the elastic thread would be increased being a multiple of the number of yarn feeds used.

I claim:

1. A circular knit stocking portion comprisinga plain fabric welt and a rib fabric top of a single continuous yarn and a continuous elastic thread incorporated in spaced courses of said welt and top, said elastic thread being engaged at spaced wales in the courses of said welt and engaged between the plain and rib wales of the courses of said top.

2. A circlar knit stocking portion comprising continuous elastic thread incorporated in spaced recurrent coursesof said welt and top, said elastic thread being engaged at spaced recurrent wales in the courses of said welt and laid in between the plain and rib wales of the courses of said top.

4. A circular knit stocking portion comprising a plain fabric welt and'a rib fabric top and a continuous elastic thread incorporated in spaced recurrent courses of said welt and'top, said elastic thread being engaged at alternate wales in the courses of said welt and laid in between the plain and rib wales of the courses of said top.

JAMES L. GETAZ. 

